Okay, that did more than hurt. That single word wounded her down to the core, brought the fears of what she’d become out from where she’d buried them and flaunted them in front of her. She sucked in a pained breath, staggered away from Daxon and his brother as they snarled at each other.
“Baby, don’t you dare take another step.”
She froze. His tone brooked no argument. He hadn’t so much as turned his head to look at her but she had no doubts he knew exactly what she was doing and where she was stood. He seemed to have a sixth sense about her.
“Efran, you’re my brother. That’s the only reason you’re still alive after insulting my mate. You’ll apologize, or you’ll pay the price.” Daxon’s rage appeared under control—if you didn’t know him. “Apologize! Now!”
“Father will only voice the same opinion,” Efran replied, but his tone softened until it became almost regretful. “I apologize, little female. This has not been the warmest welcome, I admit, but you should know this is incredibly unorthodox.”
She sniffled, shocked to find a tear trickling down her cheek. With quick swipes, she dried her face. “You said I’d be welcome, Dax. I’d like to go home now. They might think I’m a lunatic now but at least my friends are still my friends.”
“The girl’s right,” Efran commented. “Be kinder to let her crawl back to wherever she came from before she stands under Father’s scrutiny. She seems sweet enough, if a little soft and shy. There are those among us who won’t hesitate to take a bite out of her, brother.”
“They’ll hesitate,” Daxon replied in a deadly tone, “or they’ll have their teeth ripped from their mouths, one by one, before I tear their hearts still beating from their chests. She is my mate, she carries my children, and I will die defending her if needs be. Either challenge me, Efran, or get the fuck out of my way.”
Baylee saw the shadow bow, and the move seemed...contrived, she decided. A mockery. The heavy feeling in her belly grew, weighed her down. She’d imagined there’d be curiosity upon their arrival, but not this discord between brothers.
“So be it, brother.” The shadow melted away, the edges melding seamlessly back into the gloom. “You know the way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Daxon growled. He kicked at a rock, sent it hurtling into a bush before he whirled to face her. His hands gripped her arms, ran up and down in soothing motion. “I’m sorry, Baylee. Efran can be difficult sometimes; he takes after our father in a lot of ways.”
Ah, so she could expect the same vehement welcome from the father as she had from the brother. Going home held more and more appeal. Eleven siblings and two parents, she remembered, and her success rate was currently minus one.
She shivered in the cool breeze blowing through the clearing. Whether from the chill or the anxiety of meeting his family for the first time, Baylee didn’t know. But Daxon leaped into action, heading to the truck to pull out a black leather jacket. He returned and tucked her into it with all the care of a man handling a bomb.
Baylee pulled it closer around her, used it more as a shield against her emotional suffering than her physical discomfort. “I really think I should go home, Daxon. My being here is only going to cause problems between you and your family; I can’t be responsible for that.”
Daxon took her hand and led her through the trees. Trees, she noted with apprehension, looming over her like judgmental soldiers, ready to cut her down and bury her for her sins. Much like his parents, she imagined. She’d probably tainted their immaculate son with her non-shifter blood and be boiled to death in acid as punishment.
“You’re not going anywhere, Baylee. This is your home now, a safe place for us to be who we are, to raise our cubs without fear. No one will hurt you; you’re mine. Efran’s just seen his ass, that’s all. Once you’ve met everyone, everyone will love you, I promise.”
Damn it, he sounded so sincere. But he couldn’t control other people’s feelings, could he? Had no say over their thoughts or the way those thoughts influenced someone’s behavior in the subtlest of ways. And those subtle little barbs would wound her the worst.
“I wish you wouldn’t worry,” he said as he cut down a path she hadn’t seen. The route he took likely meant escaping this place needed a map and GPS. “You’re my mate, and in our world, a mate is everything. As mate to the heir—that’s me, by the way,” he said, giving her a quick wink, “—you’re as essential to the future of the clan as you are to me.”
I’m not sure about this.
Baylee tried to soothe Sheba’s unease, but it was difficult when she struggled to calm herself. What the hell had she done? She’d built a new family after the death of her parents, had three sisters who had seen her through everything including the loss of the last of her blood family. She’d walked away from them. From people who’d loved her no matter what.
And what for? To be included in a family who may or may not accept her as one of them. What would she do if they snubbed her, rejected her for impure blood? She wasn’t a shifter born into their gift; she’d had that gift thrust upon her.
“Normally I’d change to get to the residential area,” Daxon told her, his grip on her hand unwavering. She drew strength from the connection, used it to battle back rising nerves. “But as you’re having trouble with Sheba, I think it’s wiser to stay in human form. Once you have a better hold on her, we’ll go for a run. You’re going to love it here, Baylee.”
She wasn’t so sure but held her tongue. His excitement at bringing her home to his family, at making her part of his family, was evident. Crushing his happiness wasn’t something she wanted to do, even if she suffered in silence.
They walked for what seemed like hours. Gnawing hunger began to eat at her, making her restless and itchy. Before long, she knew she’d become listless and sick. The woodland got heavier, denser with vegetation and trees, crowding in on her until she felt claustrophobic.
And then the world opened up.
Daxon pulled her to his side, his arm around her waist, and—as she did—surveyed the awesome sight before them. “Welcome home, baby.”
Baylee stared at the settlement before them. Somehow she’d imagined everyone living in caves, in shelters, like a primitive species. She’d never thought along the lines of this.
More than fifty log cabins spread out over a valley, some tucked into the hillside, others on the valley bed. More peeked out from the forest edge. Most had gardens. Sheds. It was all...domesticated, she thought. A scene from any suburb where all the neighbors knew each other and borrowing a cup of sugar meant tea, cookies and a half hour conversation.
There were no vehicles—who needed them when shifting could get you anywhere you wanted? From their position at the peak of the hill above the valley, Baylee could see people going about their daily business, completely unaware of her presence and the effect she’d have on their tidy little community.
She felt like a wrecking ball, poised to destroy the peace and harmony of this slice of heaven tucked away from humanity.
“You...this...seriously?”
Dax grinned down at her. “There’s a lot of us. New friends for you to meet. They’ll be your support network, baby. Between all of us, you’ll soon have Sheba eating out the palm of your hand.”
Or we’ll be eating out of theirs, Sheba snarled. Captivity.
No, I won’t let us be held captive, Baylee told her. Not even love would let me do that to us, Sheba.
“Ready to go down?” Daxon squeezed her gently.
“You go first. I’ll just wait here.” Her feet didn’t want to move.
He just laughed and escorted her down the hill, pointing out things he obviously thought would be of interest to her. The school, the library—library, she thought in amazement—and a small cabin seated at the far end of the valley beside a stream she imagined bubbling cheerfully.
His house. Where they would live together, as a couple. As man and wife, as mates.
The first signs that their arrival had b
een noted came in the form of several rather large mammals heading them off at the bottom of the hill, just before they set foot in the valley. Three huge grizzly bears that would no doubt star in her nightmares, a Bighorn ram, a pair of cougars and, most surprising of all, a lion the size of a Mini Cooper.
In seconds they were surrounded, held hostage in a circle of angry, snarling beasts. Baylee eased closer to Daxon, away from the sharp set of cougar teeth gnashing in her direction. “This counts as the second sign of this being a really bad idea, Dax.”
“It’s okay,” he said in a tone that suggested he was completely unworried. “This is the security team; the poachers must have come damned close for Father to assign seven on the entrance.”
“You know them?”
“Of course.” He offered her a reassuring smile before turning his attention to the three bears. She wondered if Goldilocks lurked somewhere in the woods. “Tristan, Pheta, Ajax...good to see you again. Are you going to let us pass?”
The biggest of the bears shimmered, returned to human form. Where the lumbering beast had been stood a tall young man, no more than middle-twenties, built like a bodybuilder. His hair gleamed like a copper penny, matching the eerie amber of his eyes—eyes that reminded her of Brenna. “You we can let pass, Daxon. Her, we cannot. Shax has refused entry to the valley to anyone who is unknown to us. Hard times, you understand.”
“I understand. Baylee is my mate, and as such you will let her pass.”
A cougar came toward her, sniffing up her leg, her hands, anywhere it could reach. It turned with a flick of its tail and sauntered to the copper-haired man. In turn, he tilted his head. Those eyes widened in shock, and he faced Daxon with intense focus. “You bring a pregnant human here? Are you out of your fucking mind, Daxon?”
She really wasn’t liking this. Every person they’d met so far on their way into this wretched place had expressed their incredulity at Daxon bringing her here, in direct contrast to his assurances she would be well received.
“I know the law, Tristan. She is my mate, the mother of my cubs. She carries the next generation of our lineage, and as such she will be treated with respect.” Daxon drew himself up to his full height and glared at the man-bear. “This is not for you and me to discuss. Let us pass.”
“No humans.” Tristan folded his arms over his broad chest and glowered.
Daxon sighed. “She’s not human, Tristan, and again that’s not for me to discuss with you. I need to get my mate settled and I need to speak with my father. Let us pass or I’ll take you down.” He cast his glance around the circle, incorporating every person there. “All of you if necessary.”
“She’s from no clan I know of. She smells human.”
“Last time I’m asking, Tristan.” Daxon bristled, his weight balancing out more evenly over his feet as he prepared to shift.
The bear reappeared within seconds, erasing all traces of the man. It threw its head back and bellowed as Daxon shed his humanity and opened himself to the change. Before he’d fully completed the shift, the bear swiped at him with a massive paw.
It connected with a dull thud, sending Dax sprawling on his side over the rough ground. A chorus of roars and bleats followed him as he rolled, tried to get clumsily to his feet. As if they were laughing at him.
Rage enveloped her. One man against seven in an effort to defend his pregnant lover, and they mocked him. She felt her fingernails bite into the soft skin of her palms as they tingled. Surrendering herself to the change, Baylee moaned and fell forwards onto her hands and knees.
She heard a snort of surprise, a voice calling for this nonsense to stop, but her blood was up and scorching her veins. As the last of her change slipped into place, she bared her teeth, exposing those wicked canines toward the nearest offender.
The unfortunate victim of her focus happened to be the Bighorn ram. She fell on it without hesitation, leaping into action and stabbing her claws through the thick hide. It was tough, strong and incredibly agile. She gripped tightly as it bucked and wheeled, knocking the other animals aside in its panic.
She couldn’t think about the human mind inside the sheep. Right now, all she had on her mind was sinking her teeth into the throat of the sheep, tearing it out and feasting on mutton. Her system demanded it, craved raw bloody meat.
“Fuck me, she is a shifter!” A quiet voice exclaimed in surprise.
“Get her off Salvador before she kills him!”
More than one pair of strong arms wrapped around her, crushing her ribs as they tightened enough to restrict her breathing. She felt something snap and like any wild beast, switched her attention from feeding to self-defense.
They lifted her free of the ram, and she watched him stagger away a few feet before he reverted back to human form. Her deadly paws swiped at flesh, relishing the quick cries and shouts of pain. She counted four men around her as they tossed her heavily on the ground, knocking what little breath she had left in her lungs from her in a hard rush.
Stunned, she laid where she landed for a few moments, only to have those four big men kneel on her neck, her shoulder, her haunches.
“Don’t you hurt her, Tristan!” Daxon shouted.
“Tell her to change back right now or I’ll knock her the fuck out.”
She hissed, jaws snapping at her captors. Breathing labored, she twisted and writhed, trying valiantly to escape the painful pressure of knees compressing her flesh. Still in control for now, she sensed Sheba ready and waiting to take over and nearly surrendered to the beast in self-defense.
“I don’t know if she can. She has control issues, same as any of us did when we first learned how to shift, Tristan. Just let her go; she was only protecting me.”
“I’m not willing to take that risk.”
Baylee heard the faintest whistle of something big cleaving the air in two and froze. When pain exploded in her head a second later—a huge nuclear mushroom of pain as something the size of a cast-iron frying pan clocked her around the head—she yowled, whimpered.
She was already well on her way into unconsciousness when the second blow struck. She tumbled into darkness, dazed and bewildered.
Lights out.
DAXON STRUGGLED FRUITLESSLY against the hold of Ajax and Pheta, Tristan’s identical brothers. They were triplets but as the oldest, Tristan held the higher rank between them, not to mention the responsibility Dax’s own father had placed on the young bear’s head as assistant chief of security.
They held him on his knees, a brother on either side of him gripping and twisting his arms up behind his back until muscles screamed as they began to tear. He swore at them, unable to help his Baylee as Tristan prowled around her prone form, one hand still transformed into the bear’s paw.
Her body, free of guidance from human and beast, shimmered and returned to its natural state. The four men pinning her down rose, leaving her naked and vulnerable face-down on the cold ground. Tristan moved in and, with his foot, rolled her over onto her back.
He crouched, studying her with interest, and Daxon wanted to rip his throat out. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t when he freed himself; to harm another’s mate was a death sentence and he fully intended for Tristan to pay dearly.
“Curious.” Tristan’s eyes narrowed as his gaze roamed over her body. “Smells like human. Looks human. Shifts like one of us. The cubs are yours?” He turned his head to glance at Dax.
“As much mine as she is. Touch her and I’ll destroy you.” Daxon grunted when Ajax yanked his arm an inch higher, clenching his teeth against white-hot agony. “For God’s sake, Tristan, she’s not a threat.”
“Agar, go tell Shax his son has returned. We’ll be along shortly.” Still crouching, Tristan poked at Baylee’s flat belly with a fingertip. “Not far along, is she? Most women are showing by the month mark.”
Bitter fury scored Dax’s throat. “Is that a threat?”
“No.” The denial came too easily. “Just an observation. Makes it much easier for Zara to
remedy the problem when the order’s issued. Shifters may mate with humans,” Tristan reminded him with a shake of his head, “but no one has ever been so stupid as to bring that human into the sanctuary.”
“She’s different and you know it. You saw her change. Father will not order the destruction of his grandchildren, not when he sees for himself what she is.”
“Perhaps not. Or maybe you damned your mate to the fate of her unborn children when you brought her here.” Tristan hitched her limp body up and over his broad shoulder as Agar—short, stocky and silent—changed into the lion and bounded away. “Let’s hope your standing as heir holds some sway over your sire, Daxon. If not, you’ve brought her a long way to die. Let the heir get dressed,” he ordered.
Dax snarled as he was wrenched to his feet, his captors flanking him as though he was a murderer en route to his trial. They released him long enough to clothe himself, giving him no opportunity to make a dive for her. Dread filled him as he wondered if Baylee would pay the price for his stupidity. No, not his stupidity—his blind desire for his family to love and accept her as he did.
They walked through the valley, drawing stares and suspicious looks. More than a few residents lifted their hands in welcome as Daxon passed; his name was called more than once. They moved toward a large round building centered in the middle of the valley, a place Daxon thought of as his father’s office.
In truth, it was much more than that. Crucial decisions were made here. Shifters were sentenced to death here or given reprieve and a second chance to live.
They were only a hundred yards away from the Great Hall when the doors burst open and a woman, tall and slender, hair black as night, erupted into the daylight in a flurry of brightly colored skirts. She ran toward them, delight on her face as she headed for Daxon, arms outstretched.
“Lady Gillies, I would ask you not—” Tristan began.
“Enough, you foolish boy. I’ll see you reprimanded for this.” Eyes the same color as Daxon’s pinned the bear with annoyance. “You should have sent word of Daxon’s arrival the moment you knew he was here. And you most certainly should not have assaulted his companion.”
Wild: Hangman's Haunt Book 1 Page 21
